06 January 2016 at 13:28pm
By: Getrude Makhafola
Joe Slovo was 69-years-old when he died on January 6 1995. Slovo was the chairperson of the South African Communist Party at the time of his death.
Johannesburg - Members of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the African National Congress (ANC) gathered at Avalon cemetery in Soweto, the burial site of former SACP leader Joe Slovo, to commemorate the 21st anniversary of his death on Tuesday.
Draped in the signature red colours of the SACP and with some wearing ANC regalia, a crowd marched the roughly six kilometres from the Regina Mundi Church in Rockville to the cemetery.
The crowd sang revolutionary songs and waved ANC and SACP banners along the road towards the cemetery. Others had arrived in buses and taxis.
Tripartite alliance leaders included Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana, Cosatu secretary general Bheki Ntshalintshali, Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini, SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, and Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) national secretary Mluleki Dlelanga.
Slovo died on January 6 in 1995, aged 69.
At the time of his death, Slovo was the chairperson of the SACP. He was also the first minister of housing in former president Nelson Mandela’s cabinet that led the first democratically-elected government in 1994. Slovo was also member of the ANC national executive committee (NEC).
Nzimande is expected to deliver the key note address at the commemoration.
ANA
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/sacp-anc-gather-to-honour-slovo-1967374